Ward was convicted on one count of sexual battery and three counts of gross sexual imposition in December 2019 and was sentenced to prison in May, 2020. However, that sentence was stayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, and Ward was allowed to remain out until his appeal was decided.
That appeal was denied last week and a motion was filed to impose his sentence. Ward was taken into custody Monday, a court official told the Dayton Daily News.
Meanwhile, his defense attorney, Steven Hobbs, filed a motion for a new trial on Monday.
Ward was accused of touching a 15-year-old girl who was having a sleepover with Ward’s daughter, and he was accused of sexual misconduct against women he pulled over while on patrol as a trooper.
“Ward was indicted on several counts related to the sexual misconduct. Ward pled not guilty, waived his right to a jury trial, and the matter proceeded to a four-day bench trial,” the appeals court said in its ruling. “The trial court found Ward guilty of one count of sexual battery and three counts of gross sexual imposition. The trial court sentenced Ward to an aggregate sentence of three years in prison and designated him a Tier III sex offender.”
The judge also found Ward not guilty of other sex crimes he was charged with.
Ward argued that prosecutors withheld evidence in the case and that he was wrongly convicted, but the appeals court denied those arguments.
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